fur n OED ~ sb¹ 5 (1827-), DC 2 (1928-) for sense 1; for combs. in sense 2: DC ~ board (Nfld: 1771-), ~ path 1 (1921-), ~ trade (1743-).
   1 An animal hunted or trapped for its fur.
   [1771] 1792 CARTWRIGHT i, 189 No furs stirring since the fine weather set in. [1777] ibid ii, 274 Jack and I visited our traps in the home walks; no sign of furs about mine, but many foxes had been near his. 1973 GOUDIE 56, 64 In January 1926, Jim got home with his first catch of fur... He trapped a few fox while he was waiting for the river to freeze up so he could get into the country to trap the inland furs. 1977 Inuit Land Use 107 It was a hard life, you had to do a lot of walking. Wasn't too hard when you got the fur, but the year you got no fur, then it used to be hard—hard to get a thing to eat.
   2 Comb fur board: wooden board on which animal pelt is spread to dry.
   [1771] 1792 CARTWRIGHT i, 106 Charles and I were engaged all day in altering the furboards, and making new ones after the Canadian form. Those used in Newfoundland, being too short and too broad, do not make the skins look near so well as the furboards of Canada. 1933 MERRICK 185 Since arriving, Harvey has built the new cabin ... and a whole set of new fur boards.
   fur catcher: trapper.
   [1819] 1915 HOWLEY 118 I am informed by those that live there that they do a great deal of injury to the fur catchers in that quarter.
   fur path: hunting territory claimed by a trapper; TRAP²: TRAP LINE.
   [1906] GRENFELL 182 So Uncle Rube could tend his fur-path again, as he used to do before. 1947 TANNER ii, 702 A tacit agreement has developed with regard to individual rights to use certain fur-paths, i.e. certain stretches in the forests where a trapper may lay out his traps to the exclusion of all others.
   fur trade: the pursuit of and commerce in animal furs.
   [1725] 1975 ANDREWS [3] The masters say they do not connive at nor encourage their men to remain in the Land, except such as come to carry on the Seale and Furr Trade to the Northward. 1765 WILLIAMS 6-7 I shall make no Calculation on the Fur Trade, which was very considerable before the French had such vast Possessions to the Northward. 1936 DEVINE 50 His specialty was the fur trade, but he also had general dry goods.
   fur trap line: see fur path; TRAP²: TRAP LINE.
   1976 Evening Telegram 3 July, p. 2 [The Advisory Council] is preparing its case against the method and location of ... woodcutting in the Goose Bay area as the Company's loggers bear down on valuable fur trap lines.

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